Denuclearisation of Norea Korea priority, not a regime change: White House

US President Donald Trump. (Reuters/File)

The Trump administration is focused on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula an anything beyond that is not a priority at this point, the White House said on Friday.

“This administration is focused on one big thing when it comes to North Korea. And that’s denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. That’s our number one priority. That’s what we’re focused on. Anything beyond that is not the priority at this point,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters while responding to a question if this administration now advocates regime change in North Korea.

According to Sanders, US President Donald Trump ha spoken several times this week to his administration official and world leaders, specifically about North Korea. “And he’s going to continue to do that, and continue to talk to all of the relevant stakeholders,” she said in response to another question.

The State Department welcomed Germany’s decision to downsize its diplomatic mission in Pyongyang and require Nort Korea to reduce its presence in Berlin. “That is something that is a part of our maximum pressure campaign to take money out of North Korea, to try to choke of the money that goes into North Korea, that goes into it ballistic and nuclear programs,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her news conference.

The world, she said, recognises what a regional an global threat North Korea is. “So many countries in the world are on board with thi campaign, on board with the maximum pressure campaign. But countries have to make their own decisions about what will work best for them,” the spokesperson said.

“We ask countries to choke off the money supply that goe into North Korea. We know for a fact that North Korea doesn’t use the money that comes in to its government or to its peopl for the benefit of its people. They don’t feed their people they have people starving, malnourished. We’ve all seen that. You’ve seen the intestinal problems that the soldier who jus escaped from North Korea has certainly had,” Nauert said in response to a question.

The US has called on countries across the world to join it in the maximum pressure campaign in reducing the size of their missions in North Korea. “If they would be willing to close their missions in North Korea altogether, I think that is something we would be supportive of. We’ve also called on nations to kick out Nort Korean guest workers, to reduce the size of North Korea missions in their own countries. It’s a broad pressure campaign,” Nauert said.

The US has urged nations to step up maximum pressur against North Korea after the reclusive state fired a Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Tuesday.